DEALING WITH DRUGS: TALES OF OUR CITY

CASE STUDY 1

Sarah can't remember when she first injected heroin, she was either 19
or 20.

By the time she was 23, Sarah was injecting every fortnight, not just
heroin, amphetamines as well.

Her drug use is fairly indiscriminate. She uses cannabis and speed with
anything else that's available. When it comes to heroin she likes it with
alcohol and benzodiazepines.

Last year, when she was 26, Sarah overdosed for the second time. She
shared four caps of heroin with a friend and then collapsed into
unconsciousness. She was revived by ambulance officers.

CASE STUDY 2

It was in a Melbourne alleyway that Justin overdosed on heroin for the
second time. He was alone and injected the drug soon after buying it,
for fear of being caught.

A street dealer he had not used before sold him two caps of heroin. On
the day of his overdose he had also used benzodiazepines and tobacco.
He was revived by ambulance officers.

He usually injects alone and uses one cap at a time about three times
a day. He began injecting heroin regularly when he was 22. At the
time he overdosed, Justin was 26, had a part-time job and lived at
home with his parents.

THE DEADLY TRADE

* Since 1 January, two fatal overdoses a day in Victoria.

* Seven to eight years ago street level heroin was 10 per cent pure,
today it is 70-80 per cent.

* Police teams are now spending 2-3 months investigating 25 deaths,
getting background information on the victims to give to the coroner.
The report will trace their history back to school, find out why they
started using heroin, who knew about it, and why they paid the
ultimate penalty.

* Heroin in this state is controlled by two groups, Rumanian criminals
and Vietnamese criminals. Cannabis and amphetamines are controlled by
other groups.

* Police attend about only 12 per cent of heroin overdoses.

* "Police are not there to charge people who are found overdoses. Our
first aim is to preserve life." - Detective Chief inspector John McKoy
from the Victoria Police drug squad.

Heroin deaths

1998: 250+
1997: 186
1996: 167
1995: 140
1994: 84
1993: 59
1992: 98
1991: 49

Average age

Male: 30.2 years
Female: 28.8 years
(Females account for 15 per cent)

Occupations

Unemployed: 132
Unknown: 25
Students: 13
Pensioners: 12
Chefs: 6
Laborers: 6
Prisoners: 4
Machinists: 4
Home duties: 4
Bricklayers: 4
Others: 69

Location of deaths

Home: 184
Car: 17
Public toilets: 17
Hotel/Motel: 9
Hospital: 8
Caravan: 6
Rehabilitation centre: 5
Boarding house: 4
Carpark: 3
Church grounds: 3
Prison: 3
Shopping centre: 3
Beach: 2
Railway station: 2

Most affected suburbs

St Kilda: 13
Melbourne: 11
Dandenong: 11
Fitzroy: 10
Footscray: 9
Reservoir: 7
Northcote: 7
Frankston: 7
Springvale: 6
Nth Melbourne: 6
Collingwood: 6
Coburg: 6
Box Hill: 6
Ascot Ville: 5